Question

A macrophage is able to take up a whole bacterium, digest it to small pieces, attach those pieces to a self molecule (also called MHC), and then put this combination of self and small piece into the surface of a cell. This process is called __________

Answer 1

The process where a macrophage digests a bacterium and presents pieces of it with MHC on its surface is called antigen presentation, a key part of the immune response.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process by which a macrophage takes up a whole bacterium, digests it into smaller pieces, attaches those pieces to a self molecule called the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), and then presents this combination on the surface of the cell is known as antigen presentation. This is a crucial step in the immune response, as it allows lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system to interact with the antigen-MHC II complex, leading to the activation and maturation of T cells into functional immune cells. The macrophage is considered an antigen-presenting cell (APC) due to this role.